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Aug. 28th, 2022 12:00 amPlayer: Nivie
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RasereiHojo
Current Characters: Satan | Obey Me! |![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
angelbirth
Character: Kashuu Kiyomitsu
Canon: Touken Ranbu - Hanamaru series, season 2 episode 5.
Age: ~521 chronologically (forge date) | Early 20s physical body age
Background Information: In the world of Touken Ranbu, tsukumogami are tools that have acquired a kami or spirit. Specifically, they are swords (and sometimes spears) that, through a variety of reasons, have developed a sense of self. Technically, they are minor gods of whatever the weapon is, and they are summoned by a Saniwa (sage) who is able to give the kami a human body.
Due to their sense of selves, they have memories from the time they were swords. They are acutely aware of their masters and remember the time their owners spent with them. They remember how they were used -- whether they were used in combat, used in vile ways, or simply put on display. Despite being minor gods, the swords often consider their master to be more important than themselves and their own desires.
The whole point of the Saniwa granting them a human body is to give them the ability to wield themselves in combat. In doing so, they will be able to fight against the History Retrograde Army, an opposing force that wants to change history to suit their own agenda. Because changing history is bad, the sword warriors that the Saniwa summons to their Citadel must always answer the call to battle to the best of their abilities while taking care not to change history themselves.
In the case of Kashuu Kiyomitsu, his history comes specifically from the Hanamaru continuity as the stage plays, musicals, and two anime series are distinctly different histories. With that in mind, he was the very first sword that the Saniwa summoned to the Citadel in the year 2205 AD, although his story starts before then.
While he had several owners over the course of his centuries long existence, the only master Kiyomitsu ever really mentions is Okita Souji, a famous swordsman and member of the Shinsengumi, a group that was more or less a specialized police force in the final years of Japan's Edo period. As a sword, Kiyomitsu is an uchigatana that is described as having great potential at the cost of being very difficult to handle. As proof of his elite swordsmanship, Souji was able to bring out Kiyomitsu's true potential with ease. Souji had another well-known sword, too, another uchigatana named Yamatonokami Yasusada, and Souji used them both in battle.
The most important moment in Kiyomitsu's history is the incident at Ikedaya Inn. In the summer of 1864, the Shinsengumi planned to storm the Ikedaya Inn to take on a group of samurai who wanted to essentially burn Kyoto to the ground. On this day, Souji chose to wield Kashuu Kiyomitsu and thus left Yamatonokami Yasusada behind. During the fight, Souji began to vomit blood while battling the samurai but, despite this, he continued to fight. Eventually, he thrust his sword into an enemy samurai at an angle that caused Kashuu Kiyomitsu's tip to break.
Sometime after the Ikedaya incident, it is said that Souji traveled to a swordsmith in order to repair Kashuu Kiyomitsu. However, he was told that due to the way the sword had been damaged, it could not be repaired. Although Souji appreciated Kashuu Kiyomitsu for serving as a strong sword for him throughout his time in the Shinsengumi, he had no use for an irreparably broken sword and thus, it is said that Souji abandoned the sword.
After Kiyomitsu was summoned to the Citadel in 2205 AD, it wasn't long before other swords were summoned and granted human forms. Because he was the first sword summoned, Kiyomitsu was often tasked with showing the new recruits around the Citadel. Eventually, perhaps through sheer luck, the 17th sword summoned by the Saniwa was Yamatonokami Yasusada, and so Souji's two former uchigatanas were finally reunited.
By the time Yasusada arrives, Kiyomitsu is pretty familiar with how things work around the Citadel as well as their mission, and so it's him who shows Yasusada around. The two are quickly assigned a mission with Yasusada as captain of the team. The team's assignment is to travel into the past to the Ikedaya Inn in 1864 to stop the History Retrograde Army from changing the outcome of the Ikedaya incident. As captain of the team, Yasusada decides that he will handle the enemies on the second floor while everyone else handles the enemies on the first floor. Ultimately, Yasusada is overpowered by an enemy and ends up falling down the stairs. Kiyomitsu reacts immediately, grabbing Yasusada and removing him from danger before destroying the enemy that had attacked Yasusada. When their mission is accomplished by eliminating all of the enemies, the team returns home.
Back at the Citadel, Kiyomitsu gifts Yasusada with a cherry blossom hairpin to help hide the uneven bangs he'd received when the enemy sliced at his face with a sword.
After that, things settle down significantly and a lot of time is spend taking care of the Citadel's grounds, relaxing, and getting to know the other swords. Yasusada and Kiyomitsu continue to go on missions, sometimes together and sometimes separately. However, the next notable mission isn't until Yasusada and Kiyomitsu are sent to the Ikedaya incident once again.
Yasusada shows Kiyomitsu the hairpin he'd been given, stating that it's a reminder not to be selfish or reckless and then puts it in his hair. Before they depart on the mission to the Ikedaya incident, Yasusada tells Kiyomitsu that although he still loves Souji, he is fighting for their new master now, the Saniwa, and Kiyomitsu believes him.
During second mission at the Ikedaya Inn, the team of six splits into two separate groups. Although Yasusada and Kiyomitsu are paired together along with a third sword, Kiyomitsu alerts Yasusada that he is going to the second floor of the inn to follow an enemy upstairs. While the three of them are separated, Yasusada stumbles upon Souji and, despite knowing that even talking to him could alter history, Yasusada goes with Souji back inside the inn to help him fight.
Ultimately, Yasusada is unable to resist protecting Souji and even goes out of his way to exact revenge on any of the enemies who get near him. During Yasusada's battle, Kiyomitsu and the others regroup where Yasusada had told them to and wait for him. As they wait, they note a powerful Kebiishi battalion, and Kiyomitsu explains that they only appear when someone from either side is trying to change history. Kiyomitsu apologizes to the group for not being firm enough with Yasusada rushes off to find him.
Initially, Kiyomitsu only finds the hairpin he had gifted Yasusada, broken and cast aside, but following the trail of blood upstairs eventually leads him to find Yasusada moments away from killing a human, an action that would absolutely change history. To stop him, Kiyomitsu tackles Yasusada, pinning him to the ground, and allows the enemy human to escape. Kiyomitsu asks Yasusada what he's trying to do, and then shows the broken cherry blossom hair pin to him. He reminds Yasusada that Okita Souji is no longer their master and that the two of them have to fight not only for their new master, but to protect history from being changed. Then, in a rare display of transparency, Kiyomitsu admits through tears that he loved Souji, too, and that he wanted so badly to be with Souji, unbroken, until the very end. Kiyomitsu asserts that that even though Souji's life is over, life isn't over for the two of them, and he urges Yasusada to remember all of the friends they've made at the Citadel over the months they've spent there.
Kiyomitsu's impassioned speech gets through to Yasusada and, with their mission accomplished via the destruction of all enemies and history unchanged, they return to the Citadel along with the other four swords.
Knowing that he needs to find a way to mature and grow as a person, Yasusada tells Kiyomitsu that he's going on a journey to do just that. When Kiyomitsu questions him on where he's going and when he'll be back, Yasusada admits that he doesn't know and Kiyomitsu resigns himself to the fact that, once again, he'll be waiting for Yasusada to come to the Citadel.
In the year or so that Yasusada is gone, Kiyomitsu is dispatched on missions less frequently and is instead appointed to be the primary caretaker of the new sword warriors as they arrive in the Citadel. Initially, Kiyomitsu doesn't seem to mind, but eventually, he takes the Saniwa not sending him on missions very personally. He begins to wake up even earlier than usual and uses that time to train hard so that the Saniwa might consider dispatching him again. Roughly five months into Yasusada's departure, Kiyomitsu challenges one of the smaller sword warriors to a sparring match, expecting to be able to win since he's been training so rigorously. However, the match is over in a matter of seconds, which immensely hurts his pride.
Afterward, he isolates himself from the others in his room, but Horikawa Kunihiro, one of the Shinsengumi swords, notices the change in Kiyomitsu from the moment Kiyomitsu loses the sparring match. Kunihiro goes to Kiyomitsu's room to let him know that dinner is ready, but when Kiyomitsu refuses to eat, Kunihiro tries to talk to him instead and get him to open up. Kiyomitsu shares that he hadn't been dispatched on a mission since January and that was the reason he'd been training so hard lately. When Kunihiro reminds Kiyomitsu that the Saniwa had faith in him and entrusted him to help the new sword warriors, Kiyomitsu denies that reasoning, citing that it was only because he'd been at the Citadel the longest. He shares that a sword's duty is to fight, and asks what use does he have if he can't do that. He asserts that he no longer has any use to the Citadel or to the master. When Kunihiro tries to comfort him, Kiyomitsu shoves him away, then immediately regrets it. Embarrassed and not wanting Kunihiro to see him so upset, he leaves the room.
Eventually, Yamanbagari Kunihiro (a separate Kunihiro!) finds Kiyomitsu and is able to console him (a little) by sharing that the reason Kiyomitsu wasn't dispatched on missions lately was because Kiyomitsu had already been so many. According to the Saniwa, Kiyomitsu had gotten so strong, so the others needed a chance to catch up. While it's clear Kiyomitsu doesn't fully believe him, he accepts Yamanbagari Kunihiro's story for the time being.
Personality: Despite being several centuries old, by the end of the first season of Hanamaru, he's only been truly alive for about two years.
As the first sword summoned to the Citadel, Kiyomitsu prides himself on maintaining a high standard for himself. What this means to Kiyomitsu is keeping himself looking pretty and cute at all times, since his reasoning is that when the choice is between something cute or ugly, cute always wins. It also means keeping his swordsmanship skills sharp so that he can remain useful to his master.
While this may seem vain, the real reason he wants to present himself as useful and pretty to those he meets -- especially the Saniwa -- is because of both the time period in which he was forged as well as Souji's abandonment of him. According to history records, Kashuu Kiyomitsu was forged in 1684, several decades into the Edo period. Due to his swordsmith's lower class status, it was difficult for his swordsmith to earn enough money to feed himself. Because of the intense poverty his swordsmith lived in, Kiyomitsu prefers to adorn himself and to dress himself well so that he does not have to be reminded of those horrible living conditions. To Kiyomitsu, first impressions matter a great deal. This is why one of the greatest acts of kindness he feels he can do for others is help make them prettier, so they, too, can be loved fully.
On a more emotional level for Kiyomitsu, he doesn't want to be discarded by those he cares about, like Souji had already done to him. He figures that if the people he cares about find him to be useful, or at least pretty, they will be less likely to abandon him. This is why he takes such great care in his appearance, including maintaining his nails very well and painting them different shades of red.
Kiyomitsu understands that it was Souji's right to discard him, as a sword that cannot be repaired is useless, but being cast aside left him with complicated feelings toward Souji and about himself. Particularly, he feels some guilt that Souji had specifically chosen him on the day of the Ikedaya incident, meaning that Souji had faith that he would get the job done. Instead, his tip ended up breaking and he felt he had let Souji down because of this, even though ultimately, the Shinsengumi's attack was successful.
While he still loves Souji and cherishes the time Souji spent with him as his master, Kiyomitsu yearns for someone who will love him until the end. So, when presented with a new master, such as the Saniwa, he is able to compartmentalize his complicated feelings for Souji and works hard to gain the favor of his new master so that he will be loved and cherished.
Despite his trauma at being abandoned, Kiyomitsu is quite emotionally mature and he takes his responsibility as a sword warrior seriously. As much as he wishes he could do something to extend Souji's life, or to avoid himself breaking as a sword, Kiyomitsu knows it's just not something that should be done. This is in contrast to Yasusada, who initially struggles with the idea of allowing Souji to be in danger at the Ikedaya Inn.
Although Souji abandoned him and went on to continue to use Yasusada as his weapon, Kiyomitsu does not bear any resentment toward Yasusada at all. Upon Yasusada's appearance at the Citadel, Kiyomitsu is quick to help him get acclimated to how things are at the Citadel, offering to teach him how equipment works and explaining their overall mission to him. When Yasusada is made captain of a team he's on, Kiyomitsu is very supportive of him and never questions Yasusada's combat decisions on the battlefield. Although he is quick to chide Yasusada for being over-energetic or for not being able to sympathize with a sword who hates his master, it's clear that Kiyomitsu chides him out of care, not out of malice. He takes this same attitude with his other friends, too, scolding them when needed but praising them for a job well done. He is straightforward with them, pointing out both their flaws and their successes.
He puts on a brave save whenever the topic of Souji comes up, for both Yasusada's sake and his own sake. However, being abandoned has jaded him when it comes to his relationship with others. As the Citadel grew in size, filling with rarer and stronger swords, Kiyomitsu began to worry that the Saniwa would no longer have a use for him. Despite the Hanamaru Saniwa caring for and loving each and every sword, Kiyomitsu genuinely thought it was only a matter of time before the Saniwa grew bored of him, despite the Saniwa frequently sending him out on missions. He outwardly acknowledged that it was unlikely he would be favored by the Saniwa for much longer. Overall, he tried to give the impression that it didn't bother him; internally, he made the decision that he would just work harder to stay in the Saniwa's good graces.
When it comes to interacting with others, Kiyomitsu is typically playful and laid back. Generally, he gets along well with most people. He has great respect for the other swords whose owners were members of the Shinsengumi, but he is not above teasing them or mocking them in a brotherly way. Although he complains about helping others do certain tasks (like fieldwork), he still does it anyway. Kiyomitsu will often lament that he's not very good at something, knowing full well that he is quite good at it, in order to fish compliments out of people. At the same time, while he may seem quite arrogant, he almost always has the skill to back up his claim. In other words, he doesn't brag about something unless it's true or he knows he can do it. For example, he brags about being "popular" when the Saniwa sends him off on back-to-back missions.
Kiyomitsu is often seen smiling, but sometimes this is just an extended effort to maintain his cute exterior. Usually, he only frowns when he's out of sight of most people. Allowing himself to be vulnerable, such as when he broke down in tears during his second mission to the Ikedaya Inn, is difficult for him to do around anyone other than Yasusada. Even then, he prefers Yasusada to not see that side of him. He is much more comfortable in the role of someone who listens to other people's problems and offers whatever guidance he can, rather than as someone whose problems are on display for others to see. Because of this, he is prone to become withdrawn and isolate himself while he processes his emotions.
Lastly, Kiyomitsu is fiercely protective of those he cares about. He may be cocky toward enemies when he's on his own, but he's quick to leap to the defense of any of his teammates who are in harm's way. Kiyomitsu is glad that actions speak louder than words because getting him to actually admit he cares out loud is quite the challenge. Sometimes he'll blurt it out, but only if he has an escape route or something to hide under.
Abilities & Inventory: Despite being a kami of the Kashuu Kiyomitsu sword, he doesn't really have any canon abilities. He's very, very good with wielding himself as a sword, but other than that, he has no supernatural abilities. He's got killer aim with a snowball, though. Thus, his inventory will only be:
Suitability & Plans: I'm looking for Kiyomitsu to develop some meaningful CR! He's only had emotions for about two years or so, and although he's fairly mature emotionally, he still has a deep-seated fear of abandonment. Obviously that won't completely go away, but hopefully he'll be able to learn that he can make friends and that those friends won't abandon him. Or maybe he will make friends who abandon him, and he'll learn to move past it :o) I also want for Kiyomitsu to develop some fire power via practicing with dreamotion because while ice is cool and reflects how Kiyomitsu wants others to see him, fire really suits his internal self quite well. Maybe he can dabble in both fire and ice eventually.
Test Drive Sample: [1] [2]
Questions: N/A
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Current Characters: Satan | Obey Me! |
angelbirthCharacter: Kashuu Kiyomitsu
Canon: Touken Ranbu - Hanamaru series, season 2 episode 5.
Age: ~521 chronologically (forge date) | Early 20s physical body age
Background Information: In the world of Touken Ranbu, tsukumogami are tools that have acquired a kami or spirit. Specifically, they are swords (and sometimes spears) that, through a variety of reasons, have developed a sense of self. Technically, they are minor gods of whatever the weapon is, and they are summoned by a Saniwa (sage) who is able to give the kami a human body.
Due to their sense of selves, they have memories from the time they were swords. They are acutely aware of their masters and remember the time their owners spent with them. They remember how they were used -- whether they were used in combat, used in vile ways, or simply put on display. Despite being minor gods, the swords often consider their master to be more important than themselves and their own desires.
The whole point of the Saniwa granting them a human body is to give them the ability to wield themselves in combat. In doing so, they will be able to fight against the History Retrograde Army, an opposing force that wants to change history to suit their own agenda. Because changing history is bad, the sword warriors that the Saniwa summons to their Citadel must always answer the call to battle to the best of their abilities while taking care not to change history themselves.
In the case of Kashuu Kiyomitsu, his history comes specifically from the Hanamaru continuity as the stage plays, musicals, and two anime series are distinctly different histories. With that in mind, he was the very first sword that the Saniwa summoned to the Citadel in the year 2205 AD, although his story starts before then.
While he had several owners over the course of his centuries long existence, the only master Kiyomitsu ever really mentions is Okita Souji, a famous swordsman and member of the Shinsengumi, a group that was more or less a specialized police force in the final years of Japan's Edo period. As a sword, Kiyomitsu is an uchigatana that is described as having great potential at the cost of being very difficult to handle. As proof of his elite swordsmanship, Souji was able to bring out Kiyomitsu's true potential with ease. Souji had another well-known sword, too, another uchigatana named Yamatonokami Yasusada, and Souji used them both in battle.
The most important moment in Kiyomitsu's history is the incident at Ikedaya Inn. In the summer of 1864, the Shinsengumi planned to storm the Ikedaya Inn to take on a group of samurai who wanted to essentially burn Kyoto to the ground. On this day, Souji chose to wield Kashuu Kiyomitsu and thus left Yamatonokami Yasusada behind. During the fight, Souji began to vomit blood while battling the samurai but, despite this, he continued to fight. Eventually, he thrust his sword into an enemy samurai at an angle that caused Kashuu Kiyomitsu's tip to break.
Sometime after the Ikedaya incident, it is said that Souji traveled to a swordsmith in order to repair Kashuu Kiyomitsu. However, he was told that due to the way the sword had been damaged, it could not be repaired. Although Souji appreciated Kashuu Kiyomitsu for serving as a strong sword for him throughout his time in the Shinsengumi, he had no use for an irreparably broken sword and thus, it is said that Souji abandoned the sword.
After Kiyomitsu was summoned to the Citadel in 2205 AD, it wasn't long before other swords were summoned and granted human forms. Because he was the first sword summoned, Kiyomitsu was often tasked with showing the new recruits around the Citadel. Eventually, perhaps through sheer luck, the 17th sword summoned by the Saniwa was Yamatonokami Yasusada, and so Souji's two former uchigatanas were finally reunited.
By the time Yasusada arrives, Kiyomitsu is pretty familiar with how things work around the Citadel as well as their mission, and so it's him who shows Yasusada around. The two are quickly assigned a mission with Yasusada as captain of the team. The team's assignment is to travel into the past to the Ikedaya Inn in 1864 to stop the History Retrograde Army from changing the outcome of the Ikedaya incident. As captain of the team, Yasusada decides that he will handle the enemies on the second floor while everyone else handles the enemies on the first floor. Ultimately, Yasusada is overpowered by an enemy and ends up falling down the stairs. Kiyomitsu reacts immediately, grabbing Yasusada and removing him from danger before destroying the enemy that had attacked Yasusada. When their mission is accomplished by eliminating all of the enemies, the team returns home.
Back at the Citadel, Kiyomitsu gifts Yasusada with a cherry blossom hairpin to help hide the uneven bangs he'd received when the enemy sliced at his face with a sword.
After that, things settle down significantly and a lot of time is spend taking care of the Citadel's grounds, relaxing, and getting to know the other swords. Yasusada and Kiyomitsu continue to go on missions, sometimes together and sometimes separately. However, the next notable mission isn't until Yasusada and Kiyomitsu are sent to the Ikedaya incident once again.
Yasusada shows Kiyomitsu the hairpin he'd been given, stating that it's a reminder not to be selfish or reckless and then puts it in his hair. Before they depart on the mission to the Ikedaya incident, Yasusada tells Kiyomitsu that although he still loves Souji, he is fighting for their new master now, the Saniwa, and Kiyomitsu believes him.
During second mission at the Ikedaya Inn, the team of six splits into two separate groups. Although Yasusada and Kiyomitsu are paired together along with a third sword, Kiyomitsu alerts Yasusada that he is going to the second floor of the inn to follow an enemy upstairs. While the three of them are separated, Yasusada stumbles upon Souji and, despite knowing that even talking to him could alter history, Yasusada goes with Souji back inside the inn to help him fight.
Ultimately, Yasusada is unable to resist protecting Souji and even goes out of his way to exact revenge on any of the enemies who get near him. During Yasusada's battle, Kiyomitsu and the others regroup where Yasusada had told them to and wait for him. As they wait, they note a powerful Kebiishi battalion, and Kiyomitsu explains that they only appear when someone from either side is trying to change history. Kiyomitsu apologizes to the group for not being firm enough with Yasusada rushes off to find him.
Initially, Kiyomitsu only finds the hairpin he had gifted Yasusada, broken and cast aside, but following the trail of blood upstairs eventually leads him to find Yasusada moments away from killing a human, an action that would absolutely change history. To stop him, Kiyomitsu tackles Yasusada, pinning him to the ground, and allows the enemy human to escape. Kiyomitsu asks Yasusada what he's trying to do, and then shows the broken cherry blossom hair pin to him. He reminds Yasusada that Okita Souji is no longer their master and that the two of them have to fight not only for their new master, but to protect history from being changed. Then, in a rare display of transparency, Kiyomitsu admits through tears that he loved Souji, too, and that he wanted so badly to be with Souji, unbroken, until the very end. Kiyomitsu asserts that that even though Souji's life is over, life isn't over for the two of them, and he urges Yasusada to remember all of the friends they've made at the Citadel over the months they've spent there.
Kiyomitsu's impassioned speech gets through to Yasusada and, with their mission accomplished via the destruction of all enemies and history unchanged, they return to the Citadel along with the other four swords.
Knowing that he needs to find a way to mature and grow as a person, Yasusada tells Kiyomitsu that he's going on a journey to do just that. When Kiyomitsu questions him on where he's going and when he'll be back, Yasusada admits that he doesn't know and Kiyomitsu resigns himself to the fact that, once again, he'll be waiting for Yasusada to come to the Citadel.
In the year or so that Yasusada is gone, Kiyomitsu is dispatched on missions less frequently and is instead appointed to be the primary caretaker of the new sword warriors as they arrive in the Citadel. Initially, Kiyomitsu doesn't seem to mind, but eventually, he takes the Saniwa not sending him on missions very personally. He begins to wake up even earlier than usual and uses that time to train hard so that the Saniwa might consider dispatching him again. Roughly five months into Yasusada's departure, Kiyomitsu challenges one of the smaller sword warriors to a sparring match, expecting to be able to win since he's been training so rigorously. However, the match is over in a matter of seconds, which immensely hurts his pride.
Afterward, he isolates himself from the others in his room, but Horikawa Kunihiro, one of the Shinsengumi swords, notices the change in Kiyomitsu from the moment Kiyomitsu loses the sparring match. Kunihiro goes to Kiyomitsu's room to let him know that dinner is ready, but when Kiyomitsu refuses to eat, Kunihiro tries to talk to him instead and get him to open up. Kiyomitsu shares that he hadn't been dispatched on a mission since January and that was the reason he'd been training so hard lately. When Kunihiro reminds Kiyomitsu that the Saniwa had faith in him and entrusted him to help the new sword warriors, Kiyomitsu denies that reasoning, citing that it was only because he'd been at the Citadel the longest. He shares that a sword's duty is to fight, and asks what use does he have if he can't do that. He asserts that he no longer has any use to the Citadel or to the master. When Kunihiro tries to comfort him, Kiyomitsu shoves him away, then immediately regrets it. Embarrassed and not wanting Kunihiro to see him so upset, he leaves the room.
Eventually, Yamanbagari Kunihiro (a separate Kunihiro!) finds Kiyomitsu and is able to console him (a little) by sharing that the reason Kiyomitsu wasn't dispatched on missions lately was because Kiyomitsu had already been so many. According to the Saniwa, Kiyomitsu had gotten so strong, so the others needed a chance to catch up. While it's clear Kiyomitsu doesn't fully believe him, he accepts Yamanbagari Kunihiro's story for the time being.
Personality: Despite being several centuries old, by the end of the first season of Hanamaru, he's only been truly alive for about two years.
As the first sword summoned to the Citadel, Kiyomitsu prides himself on maintaining a high standard for himself. What this means to Kiyomitsu is keeping himself looking pretty and cute at all times, since his reasoning is that when the choice is between something cute or ugly, cute always wins. It also means keeping his swordsmanship skills sharp so that he can remain useful to his master.
While this may seem vain, the real reason he wants to present himself as useful and pretty to those he meets -- especially the Saniwa -- is because of both the time period in which he was forged as well as Souji's abandonment of him. According to history records, Kashuu Kiyomitsu was forged in 1684, several decades into the Edo period. Due to his swordsmith's lower class status, it was difficult for his swordsmith to earn enough money to feed himself. Because of the intense poverty his swordsmith lived in, Kiyomitsu prefers to adorn himself and to dress himself well so that he does not have to be reminded of those horrible living conditions. To Kiyomitsu, first impressions matter a great deal. This is why one of the greatest acts of kindness he feels he can do for others is help make them prettier, so they, too, can be loved fully.
On a more emotional level for Kiyomitsu, he doesn't want to be discarded by those he cares about, like Souji had already done to him. He figures that if the people he cares about find him to be useful, or at least pretty, they will be less likely to abandon him. This is why he takes such great care in his appearance, including maintaining his nails very well and painting them different shades of red.
Kiyomitsu understands that it was Souji's right to discard him, as a sword that cannot be repaired is useless, but being cast aside left him with complicated feelings toward Souji and about himself. Particularly, he feels some guilt that Souji had specifically chosen him on the day of the Ikedaya incident, meaning that Souji had faith that he would get the job done. Instead, his tip ended up breaking and he felt he had let Souji down because of this, even though ultimately, the Shinsengumi's attack was successful.
While he still loves Souji and cherishes the time Souji spent with him as his master, Kiyomitsu yearns for someone who will love him until the end. So, when presented with a new master, such as the Saniwa, he is able to compartmentalize his complicated feelings for Souji and works hard to gain the favor of his new master so that he will be loved and cherished.
Despite his trauma at being abandoned, Kiyomitsu is quite emotionally mature and he takes his responsibility as a sword warrior seriously. As much as he wishes he could do something to extend Souji's life, or to avoid himself breaking as a sword, Kiyomitsu knows it's just not something that should be done. This is in contrast to Yasusada, who initially struggles with the idea of allowing Souji to be in danger at the Ikedaya Inn.
Although Souji abandoned him and went on to continue to use Yasusada as his weapon, Kiyomitsu does not bear any resentment toward Yasusada at all. Upon Yasusada's appearance at the Citadel, Kiyomitsu is quick to help him get acclimated to how things are at the Citadel, offering to teach him how equipment works and explaining their overall mission to him. When Yasusada is made captain of a team he's on, Kiyomitsu is very supportive of him and never questions Yasusada's combat decisions on the battlefield. Although he is quick to chide Yasusada for being over-energetic or for not being able to sympathize with a sword who hates his master, it's clear that Kiyomitsu chides him out of care, not out of malice. He takes this same attitude with his other friends, too, scolding them when needed but praising them for a job well done. He is straightforward with them, pointing out both their flaws and their successes.
He puts on a brave save whenever the topic of Souji comes up, for both Yasusada's sake and his own sake. However, being abandoned has jaded him when it comes to his relationship with others. As the Citadel grew in size, filling with rarer and stronger swords, Kiyomitsu began to worry that the Saniwa would no longer have a use for him. Despite the Hanamaru Saniwa caring for and loving each and every sword, Kiyomitsu genuinely thought it was only a matter of time before the Saniwa grew bored of him, despite the Saniwa frequently sending him out on missions. He outwardly acknowledged that it was unlikely he would be favored by the Saniwa for much longer. Overall, he tried to give the impression that it didn't bother him; internally, he made the decision that he would just work harder to stay in the Saniwa's good graces.
When it comes to interacting with others, Kiyomitsu is typically playful and laid back. Generally, he gets along well with most people. He has great respect for the other swords whose owners were members of the Shinsengumi, but he is not above teasing them or mocking them in a brotherly way. Although he complains about helping others do certain tasks (like fieldwork), he still does it anyway. Kiyomitsu will often lament that he's not very good at something, knowing full well that he is quite good at it, in order to fish compliments out of people. At the same time, while he may seem quite arrogant, he almost always has the skill to back up his claim. In other words, he doesn't brag about something unless it's true or he knows he can do it. For example, he brags about being "popular" when the Saniwa sends him off on back-to-back missions.
Kiyomitsu is often seen smiling, but sometimes this is just an extended effort to maintain his cute exterior. Usually, he only frowns when he's out of sight of most people. Allowing himself to be vulnerable, such as when he broke down in tears during his second mission to the Ikedaya Inn, is difficult for him to do around anyone other than Yasusada. Even then, he prefers Yasusada to not see that side of him. He is much more comfortable in the role of someone who listens to other people's problems and offers whatever guidance he can, rather than as someone whose problems are on display for others to see. Because of this, he is prone to become withdrawn and isolate himself while he processes his emotions.
Lastly, Kiyomitsu is fiercely protective of those he cares about. He may be cocky toward enemies when he's on his own, but he's quick to leap to the defense of any of his teammates who are in harm's way. Kiyomitsu is glad that actions speak louder than words because getting him to actually admit he cares out loud is quite the challenge. Sometimes he'll blurt it out, but only if he has an escape route or something to hide under.
Abilities & Inventory: Despite being a kami of the Kashuu Kiyomitsu sword, he doesn't really have any canon abilities. He's very, very good with wielding himself as a sword, but other than that, he has no supernatural abilities. He's got killer aim with a snowball, though. Thus, his inventory will only be:
- the clothes on his back (Hakama outfit - battle attire will be via dreamwalking or a regain at a later time)
- a protective charm (just a non-magical pouch) with a seashell inside
- The broken cherry blossom hairpin he made
- His sword/original body, Kashuu Kiyomitsu
Suitability & Plans: I'm looking for Kiyomitsu to develop some meaningful CR! He's only had emotions for about two years or so, and although he's fairly mature emotionally, he still has a deep-seated fear of abandonment. Obviously that won't completely go away, but hopefully he'll be able to learn that he can make friends and that those friends won't abandon him. Or maybe he will make friends who abandon him, and he'll learn to move past it :o) I also want for Kiyomitsu to develop some fire power via practicing with dreamotion because while ice is cool and reflects how Kiyomitsu wants others to see him, fire really suits his internal self quite well. Maybe he can dabble in both fire and ice eventually.
Test Drive Sample: [1] [2]
Questions: N/A
